Founder & Executive Director, Climate Action and Sustainable Development (CASD)

Liberia sits at the heart of one of the world's most critical climate frontiers, and Joe K. Gbasakollie has spent over two decades ensuring it doesn't face that reality alone.

Joe K. Gbasakollie is the Founder and Executive Director of Climate Action and Sustainable Development (CASD), a Liberia-based organization advancing evidence-driven climate action across West Africa. With more than 19 years of experience spanning international development, project management, education governance, climate policy, and community development, Joe has built a career defined by one conviction: that climate resilience and inclusive economic growth are inseparable.

Joe holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Liberia and has completed senior executive education programs at the Harvard Kennedy School, Stanford Graduate School, and Turin School of Development, among others — training that sharpened his ability to work at the intersection of climate-smart education systems and international development with emphasis on bridging technical climate science with practical policy and investment strategy. His work has taken him across West, East, and Central Africa, giving him a rare combination of regional depth and global perspective.

Throughout his career, Joe has helped secure multimillion-dollar awards from the World Bank and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) as technical lead for the Government of Liberia in high-stake grant proposals writing, project designs and negotiations. He has also led various transformative education and other development projects as the World Bank Education Portfolio Coordinator over seven (7) years, Senior Education Governance Advisor to two Ministers of Education in two different administrations, and as a member of the GPE governance team specifically serving as its focal point for Liberia and member of its Board Committee on Performance, Impact, and Learning (PILC) over a combined period of 7 years. Joe has also worked with other government institutions, including the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Ministry of Youth and Sports, and other Liberia civil society and non-governmental organizations, including the Coalition of Environmental NGOs of Liberia, National Civil Society Council of Liberia, and Children Development Program — organizations focused on environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and natural resources management.

His work continues to touch the lives of Liberians across climate resilience, education, governance, and community development as part of an ongoing mission to reach every community in the country.

For Joe, climate action has never been abstract. It is about the farmer adapting to irregular rains, the coastal community bracing for rising seas, and the young Liberian who deserves a future shaped by opportunity, not crisis.

Joe's leadership is rooted in a commitment to evidence-based decision-making, gender and social inclusion, and the kind of deep stakeholder engagement that ensures climate interventions are locally owned and built to last. He has represented Liberia and its development priorities on international platforms, including the United Nations General Assembly in New York (2022 & 2025), and has engaged with various international development partners as a strategic voice for Liberia's development agenda.

Under Joe's leadership, CASD is working toward an ambitious goal: to become the premier climate-focused organization driving private-sector engagement in climate action across Liberia and West Africa by 2035. His vision is to transform climate challenges into engines of sustainable development, building resilient ecosystems, empowered communities, and green economies for generations to come.